Whiffletree.



U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l/VILLIAM H. WEBB, OF WILD`WOOD, MIOHIGAN.

WHIFFLTREE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,330, dai-,ed September' 19, 1899.

Application filed July 24: 1899. Serial No. ?24,932. (No model.)

To all whom, it may conc'n:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wildwood, in the county of Cheboygan and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Whiflietrees; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the iuvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in whifiietrees; and it consists in the provision of a whiffletree which has clips held thereto without the necessity of boring holes through the wooden shaft, which has a tendency to weaken the same at the points where the holes are bored.

More specifically the present invention consists in the provision of a whiffletree provided with clips or clevises which carry bolts at their free ends which are adapted to engage in slight recesses or grooves to hold them in place upon the whiffietree, the clips being pivoted to the clevises, whereby connection may be had to the pole of a wagon.

To these ends and to such* others as the invention may pertain the same consists, further, in the novel Construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form part'of this application and in which drawings similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which Figure l-is a perspective View of my improved whifiletree-hook. Fig.`2 is a longitudinal sectional View through the whiffletree and the clevises held thereto, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of one of the clevises. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged details, in perspective, of one end of the whiffietree and the clevis, respectively.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A desi gnates the body portion of the whiffletree, which is made imperforate as to points of connection of the clevises or clips thereto. By this provision I produce a whiffletree which is stronger than the ordinary whiffletree, in which holes are bored through the body portion and which allow water to enter said apertures and weaken or cause the wood to decay.

At each end of the whiffletree I connect the clips B, which are substantially U-shaped, with shoulders B' on their inner faces, which engage against the corners of the whiffietree and at their free ends carry bolts C, which engage in the recesses A' on the edges of the whiffietree, as shown. Each end is provided with a similar clip, and the inner faces of the clips are adapted to snugly bear against the opposite faces of the whiffietree.

At the longitudiual center or middle portion of the whifietree on the opposite edge of the whiffletree from that having the recesses in which the bolts carried by the clips at the ends are held are the recesses E E, and G is a clip substantially U-shaped, having aper: tures Gr' at its free ends for engagement with the bolt when it is desired to attach the same to a sleigh or wagon', and bolts K Kare passed through the arms of said clip and are adapted to rest in said recesses provided therefor in the edge 'of the whiffietree. Pivoted to said clip carried atthe middle portion of the whiffl'etree is a loo'p of the clevis R, whereby the latter may be connected to the bolt in any suitable manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A whiffletree cousisting of the body portion having recesses on its edge, the clips substantially U -shaped and having shoulders on their inner faces adapted to engage against the edges of the whiffietree, and bolts carried at the free ends of the clips and designed to engage in said recesses, and the central clip having bolts at its 'free end designed to engagein recesses in the opposite edge of the whiffietree from that in which the end clips carryiu g bolts en gage with the Whiffletree, and the clevis pivoted to said clip carried at the middle portion of the whiffletree, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. WVEBB.

lVitnesses:

J AMES M. BELL, JOHN CROSBY.

IOO 

